United States Presidential Election of 2012American voters will go to the polls on November 6, 2012, to determine—for the 57th time—who will be the country’s president for the next four years. Incumbent Democratic Pres. Barack Obama’s reelection bid is expected to be closely contested as the United States faces a number of challenges, most notably a struggling economy. The question of who would be running against him as the Republican nominee remained unclear at the beginning of 2012, with no candidate having emerged from a tumultuous 2011 as a clear front-runner. Through candidate biographies, voting results, and overviews of the party conventions, Britannica provides ongoing coverage of the race for the White House.

Note: Herman Cain and Buddy Roemer received 58 votes and 31 votes, respectively. (Cain had suspended his campaign in December 2011.) The day after the caucuses, Michele Bachmann suspended her campaign.

Note: Only the results for the top finishers are included in the table. About a week after the primary, John Jon Huntsman, Jr., suspended his campaign.

Background and Context

This section contains links to Britannica articles that provide background on the presidency.

Presidency of the United States: Historian Forrest McDonald provides a historical overview of the office, and Britannica’s Executive Editor Michael Levy details the historical evolution of the selection process.First Lady: Betty Caroli, author of First Ladies, describes how the role of first lady has changed since Martha Washington’s time.Electoral College: Georgetown University’s Stephen Wayne, author of The Road to the White House, details how the electoral college works and how it came into existence.White House: B. Philip Bigler, author of Washington in Focus, looks at the president’s official office and home.Electronic Voting: René Peralta, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland, explores voting technology.